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TIPS ON CREATING AN ENGLISH STYLE GARDEN IN
MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE
BY ANN JOHNSON
At Wildcelt we believe in pursuing our passions, and no less so
when it comes to gardening---but what if your "heart's in the
highlands" while your backyard is in a dry Mediterranean climate,
a la California? If Crathes Castle is your idea of a nice looking
yard, a rock covered piazza potted with sage, however lovely, just
isn't going to do.
So aside from moving to Seattle how can you indulge your passion
for British style gardening? First, it must be admitted that a British
garden in California is not going to happen, but there are ways
to sooth your Celtic soul and stay happy until your next visit to
Hidecote Manor.
We are not offering a "how to" book of gardening
here, there are many available--(no one should be without that gardener's
bible: Sunset's Western Garden Book), which will give you the particulars
on everything that is known on the subject of flora, in great detail.
However; since the authors of that book are not concerned with teasing
Mother Nature into reproducing Britain here in California we offer
you some of what works for us!
1. Choose British favorites which do well in all climates.
One obvious choice is the rose. The roses that will be happy in
your yard are not necessarily the ones which will thrive in the
British Isles (or your neighbors yard for that matter) but a "rose
is a rose is a rose", no?? For maximum impact choose some of
the heavenly scented older varieties which are less fussy and more
disease resistant than the tea roses most of us think of when we
think, "rose". Let them climb trees, ramble over fences,
line your pathways and fill your garden and vases with exuberant
color each Spring.
2.
Go vertical. The quintessential quality of British gardening has
to be that feeling of being enveloped in a world that is, to quote
Wordsworth, "green to the very door". A way to experience
this in a dry climate is to grow green walls. There are many vines
which thrive without much water while still achieving the effect
of lush greenery. If you can stand the long wait, a hedge will also
achieve the effect of green as far as the eye can see---which in
this case will be only to the edge of your yard and not a bad thing
if your neighbor's garage looks not at all like a Scottish castle.
 3.Another
key to establishing a British feel to your yard is getting the architecture
right. Those vines and rambling roses will need fences and trellising
for support. Flower borders (and you must have borders) lining walkways
will need to be punctuated with planters and appropriate garden
statuary (this need not bankrupt anyone---concrete weathers beautifully
left out a year or two).
Peruse garden books for ideas from
the great gardens of Britain and adapt them to your site and within
your budget. Remember scale is everything---the proud lion will
look silly in front of a 1920's bungalow. Find a place in your yard
that cries out for the obligatory English garden bench, and build
an arbor of roses over it. Imagine scented rose petals falling around
you as your sip your afternoon tea on a warm spring afternoon, now
that's the life.
4.
Plant lots of bulbs--tulips, hyacinths, daffodils. Many spring bulbs
are not well suited to our dry, temperate climate. Our California
winters are not cold enough, and our spring rains are often spotty
and unpredictable. Both disadvantages are easily remedied, however.
Bulbs can be purchased in autumn and stored in the refrigerator
for a couple of months and planted in early January.You will have
to be sure the bulbs are well watered after planting.
If you are serious about the look, you might consider obtaining
a small beverage type refrigerator devoted solely to bulb storage.
Flower bulbs are not compatible with some of the fruits you may
store in your refrigerator and it is inconvenient, to say the least,
to store very many bulbs for two months in amongst your food. Some
of your bulbs will only bloom one year, and will need to be replaced
yearly, such as most tulips, and hyacinths.
5.
Finally, know when to quit---no garden in California is going to
look like Britain in August. Enjoy the spring while it lasts and
bring on those pots of hot Mediterranean annuals to see you through
through the dry spell.
We'll be profiling the "Mediterranean containment (clay pot)
garden" or a "little bit of Tuscany" on a budget,
next month...
ONLINE
RESOURCES FOR GARDENING IN A MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE
Every
Rose - The Rose Reference Database
http://www.everyrose.com/everyrose/index.lasso
Mediterranean Gardening Society
http://www.mediterraneangardensociety.org/
University of California Botanical Garden
http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/
California
Horticultural Society
http://www.calhortsociety.org/
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